Deaf star races to easy victory

MELINDA Vernon wished she could hear the cheers as she ran away
with the women's Zatopek (10,000 metres) last night.

Vernon led from the start and won by 250-metres in 34 minutes,
28.85 seconds. An unknown coming in, she won the Australian title
and deserved every bit of the applause her front-running
performance merited.

She couldn't hear any of it, however, as Vernon is profoundly
deaf. She smashed the world record for the deaf by two minutes but
didn't get to appreciate the applause.

Vernon comes from Springbrook in the Blue Mountains. She started
her sporting life as a swimmer, but realised she wasn't cut out for
that. "I was too short to match those bigger girls," she said. She
started to do cross-country running as a form of cross-training and
her coach, Graham Heape, suggested she had more potential as a
runner.

"He felt I could be good at it, so I switched."

Vernon's passage last night was smoothed by the late withdrawal
of race favourite, Lisa Weightman, with a stress fracture. Josie
Carberry of Victoria ran second in 35:19.59 in her first track
10,000 and Tara Palm of South Australia was third, another 30
seconds back.

Vernon has dreams, too. "Hopefully Beijing in the 10,000 or
5000," she said. "But I'd love to run the world cross-country in
Edinburgh."

Collis Birmingham has been building his stamina training with
Craig Mottram at Falls Creek, but it was an impressive burst of
speed which took him away from Martin Dent at the bell to win the
men's Zatopek, and the Australian title, in 28:39.38.

Jason Woolhouse, a Geelong-based Kiwi, led at half-way in
14:06.54, but both he and Mark Tucker pulled out soon after leaving
Birmingham and Dent to fight out the national title.

Sam Crowther did most of the leading and then it appeared
Matthew Coloe would take the win. But Ashkettle timed his run best
to take the lead in the straight and win in 8:17.00.

Lara Tamsett won the "Lisa Ondieki" under-20 3000 metres,
winning as she pleased in 9:29.60.

Georgie Clarke made a significant step on the comeback trail
with a win in the women's 1500. Clarke returned to running this
winter after stress fractures in her back. She led throughout and
won in 4:16.88. Madeleine Pape, who improved dramatically at 800
metres this year, took 11 seconds off her best in finishing
fourth.

Tamsyn Lewis turned on a dominating performance to win the
women's 400 metres. Jaime-Lee Starr was on terms with Lewis with
150 to go, but Lewis lifted from that point to win well. Her final
time was 52.16 seconds, well under the Olympic B-standard of
52.35.

Peter Nowill won the 3000 steeplechase in 8:36.59.

Jeremy Roff attempted to lead all the way in the men's 1500.
Forty metres in front at the bell, he was run down on the line by
Nick Bromely.